Investigators say the victim, later identified as 33-year-old Cheryl Hanible, had a shoe string tied around her neck and a sock stuffed in her mouth. Investigators determined she died from ligature strangulation.

The two murders sparked an investigation that spanned over two decades. Investigators say that a Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) revealed a positive match for both murders with a convicted offender in Georgia. Investigators later determined that the suspect had a home in New Jersey.

Homicide detectives later contacted the suspect, identified as 51-year-old Rudolph Churchill of Paulsboro, New Jersey. Police say they obtained another DNA sample from Churchill and determined he was responsible for the murders of Hanible and Ellis.

Churchill was arrested on the 1400 block of Fairmount Avenue on Wednesday. He is charged with murder and other related offenses.